Too Much "Tell"

Gifford’s cranioplasty

This graphic is supposed to portray the medical procedure of removing a portion of the skull and later replacing it, or a cranioplasty, but instead I think it misses the point of having an information graphic by relying too heavily on text to explain the procedure instead of actually illustrating the steps. This violates a fundamental journalist’s rule –especially an information graphic journalist’s — to show, not tell. The skull graphic, in my opinion, lacks imagination. It could have been way more detailed and vividly portrayed. For example, in step two of the procedure, when it describes how “surgeons pull back the scalp flap, and the bone fragment or implant is attached with minuscule titanium screws and plates,” this could have been supplemented by a graphic of the surgeon pulling back the flap and securing the fragment with a detailed image of the tiny screws (and does this involve a drill? Is it similar to a drill one would use for a screw?) Needless to say, it is hard to visualize as it reads now.

That said, the graphic does do a good job of anticipating reader questions, such as what a patient does while waiting for swelling of the brain to subside (wear a helmet) and what a replacement fragment is typically made of (special plastic or original bone). It would have simply been nicer to see more visual depictions of the procedure.

http://www.azcentral.com/ic/pdf/0311giffordscranioplasty.pdf

Simple but effective line graphs

This simple AP line graphic fthat appeared in an ABC News article shows the relationship between the U.S. demand for oil and the price per barrel. I think it is interesting how the graph clearly shows how the demand reached its lowest point between 2007-2008 before the oil prices started to lower accordingly. By seeing the two graphs side by side with their corresponding timelines, this information is presented much clearer than a text piece could have explained the relationship. By being able to visualize the patterns in the data, it is easy to see why the accompanying article predicts a drop in oil prices would still be a long time coming, even after the demand drops.

http://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory?id=13345964

How much text is too much?

Here is an interesting graphic from the New York Times that presents information about the newcomers to Congress in an unusual way. The article is called “Freshman Voices in the Budget Fight” and it lists the stand-outs with accompanying superlatives, much like the “Most Likely to …” titles bestowed upon high school graduates. It is a very simple graphic, but the blocks of text somewhat deter the eye away from the subject matter—I think it would have been more eye-catching to start with the pictures, with their superlatives and states in larger bold print underneath. That way, the eye is encouraged to continue reading down the column to find out more about the members.

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2011/04/07/us/politics/20110407-tea.html?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=thab1

Interactive Straddling Bus from Graphic News

Incredible interactive graphic from Graphic News: Follow this link to see an interactive model of China’s new “straddling bus”— designed to combat Beijing’s traffic congestion, the bus glides over lower lanes of traffic, running on electricity and solar energy. The graphic opens in a new window and plays a demonstration of how the bus works. The red dots allow the viewer to click to see more detailed descriptions of the elements of the system, including the statistics on cost, safety features and capacity. The inset shows a locator map of where the trials for the bus will begin in relation to the rest of Beijing, giving it context by showing that the trials will begin in an outlying district and not in the city center. There is also another inset at the bottom left showing an active map of the bus and the direction the bus and cars underneath it are going, and how changes in direction will work with the straddling bus.

Don't commit a graphics Fox - er, faux - pas!

One more reason why it’s important to remember that with all the cool stuff you can do with graphics these days, you can’t forget that it is still JOURNALISM that information graphics are supposed to achieve — one of the major tenets of which is VERIFICATION. Yet another lesson we can learn from Fox News, given its recent faux pas of a map of Japan’s nuclear reactors … and a nightclub. Fox News mistakenly identified the nightclub in Shibuya, Tokyo, the “Shibuya Eggman”, as nuclear reactor “Shibuyaeggman."

But Fox News isn't the first, and certainly won't be the last to commit fact errors in graphics. Take this mistake from the graphics department of the WGN during the 2010 World Cup, for example. Apparently, someone confused the country of South Africa, host to the World Cup, with the continent of South America. Ouch. You would think that a copy editor would have caught this sort of thing before publication, but sometimes time constraints can affect the editorial process, allowing errors to slip in. This illustrates one of the first elements of designing infographics as described in an article by Daniel Dejarnette titled "Looks Aren't Everything," and that is: it's still the graphic artist's responsibility to ensure the accuracy of the graphic.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/03/15/fox-news-japan-map-nightclub-nuclear_n_835840.html

Mercury News shows how to survive an earthquake

This graphic from Mercury News gives a detailed view of what to do to be safe in the event of an earthquake. The graphic features a 3D cutaway of a two-story house and a view of the rooms inside. Several features inside the house are highlighted in yellow, directing the eyes to the most important tips for securing the house. The instructions are organized along the margins of the paper and aligned in an organized way, and the bold print at the top of the page clearly indicates where the reader should begin reading. The page is also divided into sections, using varying typography and design elements to direct the eye to separate categories and distinguish between elements of information. The page has both elements of active and passive graphics, since the diagram of the house represents the location of elements in relation to each other, while other elements on the page represent action and are indicated by arrows, such as the turning of the wrench to turn off the gas.

http://www.mercurynews.com/portlet/article/html/imageDisplay.jsp?contentItemRelationshipId=2670227

A critique of Reuter's reactor graphic

A recent article in Reuters following the Japan earthquake and subsequent fears over Japan’s nuclear reactors described the similar fear that reactors in the U.S. may also be vulnerable in the event of a major earthquake. This graphic shows the extent to which the area surrounding New York’s Indian Point nuclear reactor would be affected by a similar natural disaster. But, to be honest, there are a few obscure elements on the graphic that don’t convey any real meaning to me, at least at first glance. For example, the peach-colored circle around the Greater New York City area—why is that denoted the way it is? Also, the chatter says “Affected areas within potential evacuation radii,” which, besides being jargon-y, does not clearly tell me the degree to which these areas would be affected. The subtle color change between the concentric circles (dark blue, light blue, etc.) show there is some degree of difference, but I think a key would have been a much better informational tool.

http://graphics.thomsonreuters.com/11/03/US_NYCNUKE0311_SC.gif